Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Kitchen Tip: Slicing Pineapple

The pineapple is part of the Bromeliad family – and the pineapple is pretty much the only edible member of this botanical family.

Pineapples are a “mutliple fruit”, which means that many flowers were fertilized and together they form one giant fruit. This means, that each section of the pineapple produced flowers – sometimes these beautiful purple flowers can reach a count over 200 on one pineapple!

I had the priviledge of seeing pineapples up close on their parent plant when I traveled to Ecuador. There was nothing like it.

Do you enjoy a good pineapple? We certainly do… but cutting it can be quite the task! Here’s what I’ve learned about how to slice one:

Start by grabbing the vegetative part of the pineapple that is growing off of the top. Twist the stem and …

it should pop right off!

Now, slice the top off and start skinning the thing – slicing the outer layer off.

Now, you have a clean pineapple.

Next up, slice the pineapple down the middle.

Then, slice a few more times until you have sections that are about bite-size in width.

Slice the center out of each segment, just like this:

Then, slice the strip horizontally into bite sized pieces.

If you don’t plan on eating all the pineapple within a day or two of slicing, only prepare half of the pineapple. Leave the other half with the exocarp still on (the outer skin), and wrap it in plastic wrap, storing it in the fridge until you are ready to eat it. You’ll buy another 3-4 days on the life of your pineapple that way.

This looks like such an easy way to do it. I avoid buying fresh pineapple because I don't want to deal with cutting it. I even bought a special tool that was supposed to cut pineapples, but I ended up injuring myself every time I used it, so to the donation pile it went! I'll try again using your method - I think I can handle it!

When cooking, please make sure to follow kitchen hygiene and safety -- cook meat until internal temperature is at safe levels, always check labels for allergens, and use caution in the kitchen -- I love sharing recipes, but I am not liable for damages done as a result of trying these recipes.